RICHMOND, Va., March 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A transport ship carrying the first cargo of liquefied natural gas produced for export departed Thursday, March 1, from the Dominion Energy Cove Point LNG terminal, where the newly constructed liquefaction facility is undergoing final commissioning. All major equipment has been operated and is being commissioned as expected following a comprehensive round of testing and quality assurance activities.

Shell NA LNG is providing the natural gas needed for liquefaction during the commissioning process and is off-taking by ship the LNG that is produced.

When commissioning is complete, DECP will produce LNG for ST Cove Point, which is the joint venture of Sumitomo Corporation and Tokyo Gas, and for Gail Global (USA) LNG, the U.S. affiliate of GAIL (India) LTD under 20-year contracts. DECP's liquefaction facility is designed to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and has a nameplate capacity of 5.25 mtpa of LNG, equivalent to approximately 8.3 million gallons of LNG per day.

Construction of the liquefaction facility began in October 2014, following more than three years of federal, state and local permit reviews and approvals. With a cost of approximately $4 billion, it is the largest construction project ever for Maryland and for Dominion Energy. Construction has involved more than 10,000 craft workers and a payroll of more than $565 million.

Dominion Energy (NYSE: D) is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 26,000 megawatts of generation, 14,800 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,600 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion Energy operates one of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with approximately 1 trillion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves more than 6 million utility and retail energy customers. For more information about Dominion Energy, visit the company's website at www.dominionenergy.com.